Tesla Bot becomes less of a sideshow as impressive new footage of the robots emerge
Tesla gave an update on its humanoid robot program, which is known as Tesla Bot or Optimus. New images of prototypes were quite impressive – making the project look less like a sideshow and increasingly like a potentially real product.
When Elon Musk first announced the Tesla Bot, many laughed it off as a sideshow or distraction to Tesla’s more important mission to accelerate the advent of sustainable energy.
The CEO hyped it up by describing how much value it would create by fixing the labor crisis, but like Tesla’s autonomous driving effort, everyone can see the value of humanoid robots – the problem is people have issues seeing Tesla making it a reality.
It didn’t help that the latest demo at Tesla AI Day last year was less than impressive.
At the time, Tesla had a very early prototype that didn’t look like much. It was barely able to walk around and wave at the crowd. That was about it.
The company also had another more refined-looking prototype, but it wasn’t even able to walk in time for the presentation.
Here’s what it looked like:
Tesla claimed to have a great opportunity to develop this humanoid robot because it could leverage a lot of existing hardware developed for its electric vehicles and software from its self-driving technology.
But it wasn’t clear how much effort was put into the project even though Musk claimed it became a top priority at Tesla early last year.
Now at Tesla’s 2023 shareholders meeting today, Musk gave an update on Tesla Bot that included a lot of new footage of multiple prototypes:
The footage included 5 Tesla Optimus prototypes, and they were seen performing simple tasks, walking around the office as well as in other Tesla facilities where Cybertrucks were around.
The prototypes were waking slowly, but they appeared to be stable.
While the tasks that they were performing were not really impressive, Tesla appeared to have made a lot of progress in developing the hands:
Tesla also gave a glimpse at the robots detecting and memorizing their environment.
Musk again claimed that the “Optimus stuff is extremely underrated”. The CEO said that the demand could be as high as 10 to 20 billion units.
He went as far as “confidently predicting” that Optimus will account for “a majority of Tesla’s long-term value”.
Electrke’s Take
I am still skeptical about this project, but I have to give credit where credit is due. This looks like a significant improvement over the last demo, which was just about 8 months ago.
The hands, which are arguably the most difficult part of a humanoid robot, are truly impressive here.
Now I think we are still at least about 3 years from a useful product, but that in itself would be amazing.
Mind you, that timeline is also when I think that Tesla will have a useful self-driving vehicle, which makes sense since Elon says that Tesla is leveraging its AI development for self-driving for Optimus.
While we can argue on the timeline, I wouldn’t bet against Tesla on this. On the hardware side of things, they do have a great advantage in leveraging their current EV hardware.
When you think about it, there’s no major engineering problem that needs to be solved in order to create a humanoid robot. It just needs to be efficiently packaged as well as designed and manufactured in a way that the robot doesn’t cost more than $100,000.
People didn’t think that was possible with electric cars and Tesla did it. I think they can do it for humanoid robots.
The AI side is the more difficult challenge. That’s why I am talking about ~3 years for a useful product. That’s accounting for the fact that Tesla has already made a lot of mistakes in developing AI for self-driving. Those are mistakes that it won’t make for the robot and at one point, it is going to run out of mistakes to make.
Also, a useful product doesn’t mean a robot that can replace a significant percentage of human laborers. It means that at the cost, it will replace some workers. It will likely be a decade before the capacity can extend to a large number of tasks and the cost of acquisition and operation make it a valuable option for deployment at scale.
Similar to what Tesla did with electric vehicles timeline-wise.
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With its tire-blistering acceleration and record-setting performance, the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra has been getting attention throughout the auto industry, impressing everyone who’s seen it. That “everyone” now seems to include the OG supercar brand, itself.
CarNewsChina posted pictures from a Weibo user that reportedly show a Xiaomi SU7 Ultra exiting the storied Ferrari factory in Maranello, Italy. According to a Chinese blogger going by 西米露在博洛尼亚 (which seems to translate to “Sago Dessert in Bologna”), the prancing horse brand is actively benchmarking the Chinese hypercar for its own upcoming EV.
The SU7 Ultra was definitely coming from inside Ferrari’s facility. After verification, we learned this specific vehicle was officially purchased by Ferrari for testing, and the development of their next-generation electric platform.
Yet another Chinese auto blogger, 苏黎世贝勒爷, claims that Ferrari representatives visited Xiaomi headquarters last year, allegedly to discuss the joint development of next-generation high-performance EV motors.
The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra made its debut last year, promising 1,548 hp, sub 2.0-second 0-60 mph times, and a top speed well over 200 mph – all at a price lower than a Tesla Model S Plaid or Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. The car sold out almost immediately after it was unveiled, racking up some 50,000 orders almost overnight.
The new electric benchmark
In the automotive world, “benchmarking” is a process in which car companies systematically tear down each others’ competitive products to compare everything from sound insulation, vehicle ride and handling, component materials, and even manufacturing methods against their own or against other industry leaders. The goal is to evaluate performance, cost, quality, and other key metrics, effectively figuring out “where they stand” in the market.
If Ferrari really did buy an SU7 to benchmark it against their own upcoming electric supercar, it’s more than just a curiosity – it could mean that the highest tiers of automotive innovation have shifted from West to East. Maybe forever.
Featured image via Xiaomi; sources throughout the post.
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We’re finally getting our first teases of the upgraded 2027 Chevy Bolt, built on GM’s battery/motor platform formerly known as Ultium. So far, so good for the vehicle, which will be revealed later this Fall.
Chevy took to social media today to tease the 2027 Chevy Bolt, saying, “You asked, we listened. The #ChevyBolt is back and better than ever. More this fall. 👀”
Chevy ended the original Bolt program with the 2023 model, which was loved by a loyal group of customers (including myself). Some of the major gripes, including charging speed and rear brake lights, already look to be addressed. Also, a new more aggressive fascia is debuting.
Electrek’s take
GM has done an incredible job keeping the 2027 Bolt under wraps. It will be the first GM vehicle with a native NACS port after the Cadillac Optiq-V, which we spied in Seattle last week.
Hopefully, the new Bolt will have improved charging speeds over and above the 54kW that previous Bolts adhered to. One possible downgrade is that the old Bolt’s amazing wireless CarPlay/Android Auto system will likely be replaced by GM’s move to Android’s built-in experience. For a few years, the Chevy Bolt was the most affordable long-range EV, and it won our 2022 Electrek car of the year for its versatility and price.
I would, of course, like to see the new Bolt as a hot hatchback, but GM CEO Mary Barra has hinted that it will likely take more of the EUV’s SUV form factor. Things like AWD options, SuperCruise, pricing, power and range are yet to be revealed, but stay tuned to Electrek for the latest on Bolt developments.
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On today’s test-acular episode of Quick Charge, it’s a new day and a new Chinese ADAS test for Tesla to conquer – but this one’s got a LOT more pedestrian carnage to parse through! We’ve also got some great e-bike deals from Retrospec and a bladder-busting Hyundai.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Retrospec – the makers of sleek, powerful e-bikes and outdoor gear built for everyday adventure! To that end, we’ve got a pair of Retrospec e-bike reviews followed up by the updated Hyundai IONIQ 6 with nearly 350 miles of range from its updated long-range battery. With that, Hyundai now has the longest range Korean EV on the market, while Texas is adding megawatts of battery energy storage to beef up its troubled grid, and it’s doing so faster and cheaper than ever before.
Plus: Quick Charge listeners can get an extra 10% off the price of their next awesome e-bike by using code ELECTREK10 at retrospec.com!
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Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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